Pollution
Four major pollution problems will be virtually eliminated once a proper waste tyre collection process is in place:
- Water retention and mosquitoes - Tyres form an ideal receptacle for water, which remains there for long periods, becoming ideal breeding grounds for
insects including mosquitoes. Different strains of malaria are spreading throughout the country. Spraying these tyres is costly and ineffective. Vermin
also breed under waste tyres.
"During the 1990s, the rapid proliferation of the disease in Brazil seemed to coincide with increasing imports of used/retreaded tyres, In 1992
Brazil imported 5 862 metric tons of used/retreaded tyres and reported 1 658 cases of the dengue disease. While imports had increased six fold by 1998,
the incidence of dengue increased to 528 388 cases." (Secretariat of the Basel Convention on waste control)
Dengue is a tropical disease transmitted by mosquitoes, causing sudden fever and acute pains in the joints.
- Fire – A large stockpile of waste tyres forms a serious fire hazard and once burning, is virtually impossible to extinguish.
- Smoke – Waste tyres are burnt to recover the steel. Acrid smoke generated from burning tyres causes respiratory problems, pollutes the air and is a
hazard for aircraft landing at major airports. Smoke also causes major road accidents.
- Waste tyre stockpiles – Unsightly stockpiles reduce the value of property.
